Bangkok: India’s Thailand Open campaign was hit hard as Unnati Hooda and Malvika Bansod lost in the women’s singles second round on Thursday. Both players were defeated in straight games by Thai opponents at the BWF Super 500 tournament.
Seventeen-year-old Unnati Hooda, who had earlier won titles at the Odisha and Abu Dhabi Masters, faced top seed Pornpawee Chochuwong. The world No. 6 dominated the match from start to finish. Despite some strong shots from Unnati, she lost 14-21, 11-21 in 39 minutes.
Malvika Bansod, ranked 23rd in the world, faced Ratchanok Intanon, a former world champion. Malvika struggled early in both games but put up a good fight in the second. Still, she lost 12-21, 16-21.
With these losses, India’s focus now shifts to the doubles matches. Women’s pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand and men’s pair Sai Pratheek and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy will try to move forward in the tournament.
In singles, Tharun Mannepalli and Aakarshi Kashyap are also scheduled to play and will aim to keep India’s hopes alive at the tournament in Bangkok.